2011 Skyscraper Trends

Every January the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat conducts a review of skyscraper construction and compiles all the data from the previous year. The trend since 2007 has seen record breaking years for buildings taller than 200 meters completed, with 88 skyscrapers completed in 2011. Even as the global economy is slowly recuperating from the 2008 financial crisis, it would appear as though this trend will remain relatively stable. China, leading the pack at 23 completed towers is predicted to remain at the forefront of skyscraper market, followed by Middle Eastern countries in the next decade. UAE, South Korea, and Panama City – an up and coming cosmopolitan city – rounded out the top four. Of the towers completed in 2011, 17 have made their way into the top 100 tallest buildings – Shenzhen’s Kingkey 100, at 442 meters crowning this year’s list. More after the break.

The statistics point towards an optimistic future for high rise construction, albeit with a changing building typology, with mixed-use building gaining significant preference due to its increased market viability and buildings dedicated solely to office use falling to the 50% mark. Be on the lookout for 3 relative newcomers to this annual list; as Panama City, Panama, Abu Dhabi, UAE and Busan, South Korea begin to unleash towers at an increasing rate – 34 of the 88 buildings in 2011 were completed in these cities – surpassing some of the previous skyscraper heavyweight cities such as Dubai, Shanghai, and Singapore. To read the CTBUH’s full report click here.

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, based at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, is an international not-for-profit organization supported by architecture, engineering, planning, development, and construction professionals, designed to facilitate exchanges among those involved in all aspects of the planning, design, construction, and operation of tall buildings. Visit their site here. Reference: www.ctbuh.org